Cruising Around the Bay

I did another flight around The Bay Area this week in the ship. It had a bunch of highlights that I documented in the above pictures.

I started off in San Francisco which is always picturesque. I included some pictures of the California Academy of Sciences building which has a "living roof" garden on top of it. Reading more about it, you wonder how many more of these types of roofs will work their way on top of modern buildings. After some time over downtown I worked my way down the 101 past San Francisco International Airport in time to watch a heavy 747 take off.

Finally as I worked my way down towards San Jose, I caught up with the Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT airship just in time to watch them land. If you aren't familiar with their operations, they are still the only company in the United States offering passenger rides in an airship. I really like the shadow of the enormous airship against the hanger as it lands. Even from a distance, its an impressive aircraft.

After a quick trip over San Jose, it was time to wrap up the day and head back to Livermore Airport for a landing at sunset. In summary, another great day in the life of an airship pilot!

Raiders Game

I flew over the Oakland Raiders game on Sunday as they took on the Kansas City Chiefs. We provided the aerial coverage for the CBS telecast in case you happened to see it. If not, here are a couple pictures of the stadium during the game.

Flight Over The Bay

I spent my Monday flying over the San Francisco Bay area. It is by far my favorite place to fly around with so many landmarks and great scenery everywhere you turn. It was a day I wished that the work day didn't have to end. After all you can't beat the view from my office, so who could blame me?

Beautiful Transit

Heading from Santa Maria, CA up to Livermore, CA last week gave me some great scenery to check out. I had never done this transit before and it was every bit as wonderful as I had heard. A cloudy morning broke up into a nice clear day with a healthy tailwind all the way north. We even had some time to cut over to the coast and check out the infamous Pebble Beach Golf Course. I think even those who don't love the game of golf can't deny how beautiful this picturesque golf course really is. The remainder of the trip included a lot of vineyards and rolling hills with a landing just after sunset to cap off another fun transit to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Heart Attack Grill

If you're not dieting, in Phoenix, AZ and looking for a great burger with a unique atmosphere I suggest you check out the Heart Attack Grill. It is a hospital themed burger joint complete with waitresses dressed as nurses and hospital gown bibs for patrons. This is the ultimate anti-health food establishment. Here you can get a Single, Double, Triple or Quadruple Bypass Burger with each burger patty weighing in at a half pound. There is also all you can eat Flatliner Fries which are fresh cut potatoes deep fried in real lard! I had a single bypass burger with the fries and a regular coke (no diet cokes served here!) It was by far one of the better burgers I have eaten and the fries were amazing! Real lard may get a bad wrap but its delicious.

Oh and a couple more notes about the Heart Attack Grill....If you weigh over 350lbs, you eat free! Also if you eat the Quadruple Bypass Burger, you get rolled out to your car in a wheelchair. This establishment sticks to its theme in every way. If you've got a good sense of humor and enjoy indulging in a good burger and fries, I suggest you go admit yourself to the Heart Attack Grill.

Catching Up on the West Coast

Its been a while since I've updated the blog but the time sure has gone fast. Since my last post we've finished the golf season down in Atlanta and are now into doing football every Sunday. We've also taken Snoopy 2 from the east coast to the west coast for the winter via Nashville, Houston, Phoenix, Oakland and San Diego. Taking the airship across Texas, through the desert and over the mountains into California is always a challenge. Its also one the of the most fun transits we do. With proper planning, some patience with the weather and a few long days for the entire crew, we completed yet another west coast transit (the 3rd such transit I've been a part of).

Above are some pictures I took of Nashville, TN while we were there to cover a Tennessee Titans game back in September. I've also flown the games we covered in Phoenix, Oakland and San Diego over the past month in case you caught any of our aerial shots from those games.